Looking for red flags
Whenever I want to purchase something through eBay, I first run through steps in my head to try to identify red flags. If I see too many red flags or sometimes even one, I will not hesitate to move on to the next seller. I don't know who originally said it but I found it to be true more than once: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Doing research and using common sense
First thing I always check is seller feedback. If I don't see 100% positive feedback, I'll look at negative comments to see what unhappy buyers have to say. Sometimes seller responds to negative comments and I'll be able to get a feel of the type of person this seller is. For instance, if I see seller calling buyers names I might move on to the next seller. On the other hand, even if I see lower feedback score but I see that seller explains negative comments and those answers make sense, I might still consider this seller.
I also like to see what other items the seller is currently selling and also what they sold in the past. This can give me clues if the seller is legit. For example, if I see that seller was selling some kind of cheap items in the past and suddenly started selling some expensive items that would raise a red flag for me. On the other hand if the seller lists similar items as in the past and received positive feedback for those items, I'm probably not going to get scammed.
See my Research eBay Seller blog post for more in depth explanation on how to check feedback and research seller.
While looking at seller's other items for sale, I also like to look at pictures to make sure all of them look similar especially if the item I'm considering is expensive. If I see totally different pictures from one listing to the next (with different setup, background) that could be an indication that the seller stole the pictures and actually does not have those items.
Transactions outside of eBay
Be very careful if you get contacted by a seller asking you to complete the transaction outside of eBay. I learned this one the hard way in 2003 when I was scammed on eBay in exactly this way. Although I think now it's a lot harder for seller to contact you, keep this in mind.
Conclusion
To avoid being scammed on eBay, make sure you do some research before you purchase. Use common sense and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Check out my other blog posts for more eBay buying tips. If you're looking for good deals, try my eBay software for buyers called Buyer Auction Manager. It will help you save money and find bargains.
Check seller feedback
Before I purchase anything on eBay, I always check seller feedback to make sure they have good reputation. Checking feedback is easy. You just click on their feedback score and it will take you to their eBay Feedback Profile. On that page, you can see what people have to say about their past transactions with this seller.
If I see any negative comments, I like to read what people had to say about them To filter out positive feedback scores and only see negative, you can click on the number next to Negative and that will display only negative comments. After reading those comments, I make a decision to continue further research or move on to another seller.
Check recent eBay selling history
Sometimes, I want to know what the seller sold in the past, especially if I'm interested in an expensive item. eBay allows you to see recent selling history for a given seller. There are multiple way to get to that screen. One of them is to go to advanced search page and choose items by seller:
You would just enter seller User Id, check "Show completed listings only" checkbox and hit Search. This will show you all eBay auctions and Buy It Now items that this seller sold in the past 15 days. If the seller was selling some cheap items in the past and suddenly listed some expensive item, that usually raises a red flag for me. I would think twice or ask seller some questions before committing to buy.
Conclusion
Before purchasing anything on eBay, do some research on the seller to make sure they're reputable. First thing you should do is check their feedback score. If feedback looks good you might also want to see what they sold in the past.
If you liked this post, check out my other blog posts for more eBay buying tips. I also invite you to try the eBay buyer software that I created. It will help you find good deals and save you money.
Robert
Completed Listings Search Option
Before I purchase anything on eBay, I first search for completed listings to see what the item I'm interested in sold for in the past. This is a free service provided by eBay and in my opinion very powerful research tool for any buyer. This can also be used to do research before selling but let's stick to buying in this post.
How to Search for Completed Listings
To use this feature, you need to be logged into eBay. Once you're logged in, find search box and next to Search you'll find Advanced link. If you click on Advanced you'll be taken to Advanced Search page. It will look similar to this:
Let's say that I'm looking for Canon Digital Rebel T3i camera. I would type it in keyword box and check Completed listings checkbox as shown in the above screenshot. Once you do that, press Search and eBay will show you all items that match your search criteria and ended in the last two weeks Here is an example of search results that I got for my search phrase:
Prices for items that actually sold are shown in green and the ones that did not sell are in red. By default eBay sorts items by end date (most recently ended listings are on top). If you'd like, you can also sort by price or distance from you. There are a lot of other filters you can apply on the left side such as category, condition, price range. You can explore those by yourself.
Be an Educated Buyer and Know the Price
By looking through ended listings, you can figure out what to expect to pay for the item and you can also see the price range from low to high. This way you're an educated buyer and you will not overpay by getting caught up in the bidding war.
Now You Are Ready to Search and Buy
Once you know the price range, you can start searching for your item. Just remember to search for both auctions and Buy It Now items as you never know where you find good deal. If you'd like, you can try eBay software that I created called Buyer Auction Manager. It will help you find great deals and save you money.
Final Thoughts
Before you buy anything on eBay, do your research by using completed listings search. This will give you a good idea of the price.
eBay doesn't always have the best prices. Seller fees are high those days and you as a buyer end up paying those fees because sellers pass them over to you. Make sure you check other places. I usually use Google and Amazon search just to make sure I'm not paying too much on eBay and often choose other places to purchase my items.
Robert